In Mormonism, the Bishop is the leader of a local congregation and an office of the Aaronic Priesthood. The Mormon concept of the office differs significantly from the role of bishops in other Christian denominations being in some respects is more analogous to a pastor or parish priest. Each bishop serves with two counselors, which together form a bishopric. The Latter Day Saint movement is a religious movement which began in the early 19th century and is generally considered to be founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Aaronic Priesthood is the lesser of the two (or sometimes three) orders of priesthood recognized in Mormonism. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Christianity. ... Main article: Minister of religion A pastor is the head minister or priest of a Christian church. ... Roman Catholic priests in traditional clerical clothing. ...

The role of bishop varies some in the different Latter Day Saint denominations although they share the common history below. See below.

History of the office

Edward Partridge became the first man ordained to the office of bishop in the early Latter Day Saint church on February 4, 1831. The duties of the office were to oversee the temporal affairs and accounts of the church. Partridge emigrated to the church's growing colony in Jackson County, Missouri and continued to act as "First Bishop" of the church there. Newell K. Whitney was then called to be "Second Bishop" to oversee the temporal affairs of the church in Kirtland, Ohio. Edward Partridge (August 27, 1793–May 27, 1840) was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement, the first person to hold the prominent position of Bishop and Presiding Bishop. ... The Church of Christ was the original name given to the church formally organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Leopold I 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Jackson County is a county located in the state of Missouri. ... Newel Kimball Whitney (1795–1850) (commonly known as Newel K. Whitney, with his first name sometimes being misspelled Newell) was a prominent leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an American businessman. ... Kirtland is a city located in Lake County, Ohio, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 6,670. ...

When the Latter Day Saints were headquartered in Nauvoo, Illinois, the membership was separated into "wards" or geographical precincts and a bishop was called to oversee the temporal affairs of each ward. The role of the "First Bishop" was expanded to preside over bishops of the various wards (and thus became known as the office of the Presiding Bishop). The references in this article would be clearer with a different style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a ward is the larger of two types of local congregations (the smaller being a branch). ... The Presiding Bishop is an ecclesiastical position in some denominations of Christianity. ...

After the 1844 succession crisis, the offices of bishop and Presiding Bishop developed separately in the various resulting denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The Succession Crisis in the Latter Day Saint movement occurred after the assassination of the movements founder, Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Latter Day Saint movement is a religious movement which began in the early 19th century and is generally considered to be founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

Bishops in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In the largest Latter Day Saint denomination, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Bishops are called from among the members of a local congregations known as a ward and traditionally serve, without pay, for 5 years (the actual length of service can vary). A bishop must be a High Priest in the Melchizedek Priesthood and serves as the Presiding High Priest of the ward. A bishop simultaneously serves as the president of the Aaronic Priesthood and President of the Priest's Quorum. In a branch (congregations not large enough to draw the full complement of leadership positions from its own ranks), the Branch President fulfills the same functions listed below for a bishop; however, in branches where there are no high priests the branch president does not need to be a high priest. See Hierarchy. The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... A calling is how responsibilities and duties are allocated in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a ward is the larger of two types of local congregations (the smaller being a branch). ... In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a high priest is a member of the priesthood (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) who holds the same priesthood authority as that of an Elder, but who is ordained to the office of a high priest. ... The Melchizedek Priesthood, to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the authority and power to act in the name of God including the authority to perform ordinances and to preside over and direct the affairs of his Church and Kingdom. ... The Aaronic Priesthood is the lesser of the two (or sometimes three) orders of priesthood recognized in Mormonism. ... The office of priest is an office in the Aaronic Priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. ... The Melchizedek Priesthood, to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the authority and power to act in the name of God including the authority to perform ordinances and to preside over and direct the affairs of his Church and Kingdom. ...

The Bishop is often called "the father of the ward"^[1] as he is the priesthood leader that is most intimately involved with individual church members. The Bishop is not paid for his service and donated time to serving his ward. All ward and stake level callings in the LDS Church operate on a Lay-Ministry and are members donate their time to perform the duties assigned with each calling.

The Priesthood leader of the Bishops is the Stake President who provides direction, training and council to the Bishops of the Wards within his stake boundares and is assisted by two counselors and the High Council. Additionally, each Bishop is called under the direction and approval of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency. In Mormonism, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Quorum of the Twelve, the Council of the Twelve, or the Twelve) is one of the governing bodies of church hierarchy in many Latter Day Saint denominations. ... In Mormonism, the First Presidency (or the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy of several Latter Day Saint denominations. ...

Duties

The Bishop holds the primary responsibility for everything in the ward, both spiritually and temporally. Although he can delegate specific assignments to his counselors, the ultimate responsibility falls to him. His duties include presiding over and conducting meetings and worship services, serving as President of the ward's Quorum of Priests, acting as a "Judge in Israel" or "common judge", providing temporary financial relief for ward members, serving as the Presiding High Priest of the ward, and organizing and managing the ward's auxiliary organizations. After being called, a Bishop is ordained a High Priest (if he does not already hold that priesthood office) and then set apart as the Bishop and as Presiding High Priest of the Ward. He is also given the Priesthood Keys which authorize him to serve as a representative for the Lord in performing his duties.

• Conducting Services — Each Sunday, the Bishop is responsible for organizing the primary worship services, called Sacrament meeting. The Bishop and his counselors select speakers from among the members of the ward, assigned high council speakers, and, on occasion, guest speakers. Infrequently, the bishop or his counselors also speak in Sacrament meeting. A member of the Bishopric conducts the meeting, introduces the speakers and occasionally concludes the meeting with a few remarks. Once each month, normally the first Sunday of the month, a "Fast and Testimony Meeting" is held and no specific speakers are assigned. Instead, those attending the ward that day are invited to stand and bear testimony of the Savior and His work and influence.
• President of the Priest's Quorum — The bishop is the President of the Aaronic Priesthood and the Priest Quorum in the ward. He selects two priests to serve as 1st and 2nd Assistants to the bishop. The bishop is responsible to prepare each priest to worthily serve as a missionary and to prepare to receive the ordinances of the temple. He is also responsible for the spiritual and temporal learning of every young priesthood holder. As President of the Priest's Quorum, he is responsible for new member baptisms and missionary work in the ward.
• Judge in Israel — Members are interviewed by their bishop in order to receive a Temple Recommend. The bishop signs the Recommend to indicate that the member is following basic tenets of the Church and is worthy to enter the Temple. Additionally, members seek out guidance from the bishop in overcoming personal challenges. Serious sins must be confessed to the bishop who helps members through the repentance process. In some cases, the bishop presides over a Church Disciplinary Council where the outcome can include admonishment, probation, disfellowshipment, or, excommunication depending on the severity of the sin and the attitude of the wardmember. Additionally, the bishop also has the authority and duty to counsel members on spiritual matters, and sits as a “common judge” in the event of disputes between wardmembers. Bishops typically withdraw from involvement in matters which have been taken to the law.
• Provide temporally for the members of the ward — Bishops also have the responsibility to oversee the payment of tithes and offerings in a ward, including the duty to accurately account for all monies donated within his ward. The bishop also has the authority to authorize financial assistance, specifically the disbursement of fast offerings donated to help the poor, and other assistance to wardmembers according to the guidelines of the Church. The other assistance a Bishop can provide consist of "in kind" assistance in the form of food and household goods from the Bishop's storehouse (which is managed by the Presiding Bishop (see below). The Bishop disperses funds, authorizes distribution of food from the Bishop's Storehouse, or provides other appropriate assistance after evaluating the need of family and the resources available in his ward.
• Serve as the presiding High Priest for the Ward — As the presiding High Priest, the Bishop leads meetings and has the priesthood authority to issue callings, approve the performance of ordinances such as baptisms and the administration of the sacrament. The High Priests that reside in several wards that form a Stake are part of a Quorum led by the Stake President. In each ward the High Priests are organized into a Group. In the Ward, the Bishop gives direction to and coordinates the efforts of the High Priest Group leader and the Elder's quorum president (or, rarely, presidents) in performing their duties.
• Organize and manage the other organizations in the ward — The bishop is responsible for calling the president of each auxiliary organization. These organizations are: Sunday School, Relief Society, Young Men's Presidency, Young Woman's Presidency, Primary, Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and Young Women Class Presidencies. Additionally, he approves the recommendations made by each auxiliary president for 2 counselors, a secretary, teachers (if applicable) and other callings within the organization. In doing this, the Bishop manages the time donated by members of the ward.

Sacrament meeting is the weekly worship service held on Sunday in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... In Mormonism, a high council is one of several different governing bodies that have existed in the church hierarchy on many Latter Day Saint denominations. ... In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... The Salt Lake Temple is the most well-known Mormon Temple. ... The Salt Lake Temple is the most well-known Mormon Temple. ... The Salt Lake Temple is the most well-known Mormon Temple. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Fast offering is the term used in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to denote money donated to the church in order to help the needy. ... A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregrations in sects of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... In Mormonism, an Elder is a priesthood and leadership position in many denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... The Relief Society is the womens organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. ... The Primary Association is a childrens organization and an official auxiliary within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

Presiding Bishop

See Presiding Bishop The Presiding Bishop is an ecclesiastical position in some denominations of Christianity. ...

The LDS Church also has a Presiding Bishopric which oversees the temporal affairs of the Church (including its Welfare Services) and provides assistance and instruction to the various bishoprics worldwide. However, there is no ecclesiastical or priesthood reporting relationship as the bishop's ecclesiastical priesthood leader is the Stake President. A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregrations in sects of the Latter Day Saint movement. ...

Levitical Bishops

Interestingly, according to Latter-day Saint scripture, a Bishop does not need to be a High Priest nor does he need counselors if he is a Levite and a direct descendant of Aaron, Moses' brother. In the LDS Church, there is no current Bishop serving under this doctrine, and such a Bishop could not fulfill all the duties enumerated above (such as the serving as the Presiding High Priest of the Ward). In the Jewish tradition, a Levite (לוי Attached, Standard Hebrew Levi, Tiberian Hebrew Lēwî) is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. ... Aaron (אַהֲרֹן, a word meaning bearer of martyrs in Hebrew (perhaps also, or instead, related to the Egyptian Aha Rw, Warrior Lion), Standard Hebrew Aharon, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAhărōn), was one of two brothers who play a unique part in the history of the Hebrew people. ... Moses strikes water from the stone, by Bacchiacca Moses or Moshe (Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה, Standard Tiberian ; Arabic: موسى, ; Geez: ሙሴ Musse) is a legendary Hebrew liberator, leader, lawgiver, prophet, and historian. ...

References

1. ^ Day in the Life of a Bishop. LDS Newsroom: People of the Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995). Retrieved on 2006-05-24.